AEW Collision: Daniel Garcia remains a fighting champion

Sully Khan

AEW Collision: Daniel Garcia remains a fighting champion

We’re well into March now. The weather should be getting warmer here north of the border but it’s sure to be heating up in Sacramento tonight as a (taped) episode of AEW Collision comes to us.

Tonight’s show might add to some story lines before tomorrow’s massive Revolution PPV. Or, it could… not do that, I guess. Let’s find out!

1. The Opps vs. Jack Banning, Starboy Charlie, and Titus Alexander

HOOK starts after The Opps all walk in with towels around their necks – a great homage to not only Samoa Joe, but to his father Taz as well.

Getting jabbed repeatedly in the jaw by Samoa Joe must feel like taking a brick to the face.

Titus Alexander takes all the damage from all three Opps and the match is over quickly.

Winners: The Opps.

Cope cuts a promo and calls Moxley a succubus in regards to Wheeler Yuta – who’s off to do some “soul-searching”. He wants the Moxley that set the wrestling industry on fire. He says this could be his last chance at a world title. “There’s no expiry on purpose,” Cope says. He has to do this. He appears ready for the worst Moxley can bring him – he’s urging that Mox to show up tomorrow.

The CEO Mercedes Mone joins Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone on the broadcast table for commentary.

2. Serena Deeb vs. Momo Watanabe

Mercedes Mone says she probably only knows about 900 when bringing up Serena Deeb as “The Woman of 1000 Holds”. Even when she’s not trying to be funny, it just works.

She is quick to praise Momo Watanabe but says that she herself is the CEO of Japan. The crowd chants “Momo’s gonna kill you!”, trying to get into Deeb’s head. Not sure that’s a worthy endeavor.

Deeb gets Watanabe in the middle of the ring and gets her in a brutal hold, pulling her arms behind her. She recovers and counters with a dropkick off the ropes, then another.

Watanabe lands stiff kicks to Deeb’s upper body. She sells the hits, at least sounding like they’re doing damage.

Deeb gets an ankle lock and then transitions to a varied Indian Deathlock. Watanabe hits the Three Amigos, but Schiavone didn’t want to call it that with Mone on the desk with him. Billie Starkz watches from backstage. Deeb hits a suplex out of the ropes. Watanabe kicks out at two after a Hammer Lock Lariat.

An intensely physical match that ends with Peach Sunrise.

Winner: Momo Watanabe.

Mone gets to the ring. She taunts her opponent at tomorrow’s match and gets hit with a Meteora. Watanabe holds the title up. Is this a sign of things to come tomorrow?

After the beatdown from the Don Callis family at Dynamite, Ospreay mentions the United Empire and the brotherhood. He lists all their names. He was excited when FLetcher joined AEW as he thought United Empire would take over AEW. An intensely personal promo ahead of the toughest challenge he’s ever had to face in his career.

3. Harley Cameron vs. Tatavik

Tatavik starts off hot, getting to Cameron before the bell rings. Boos ring out.

Tatavik has a background in martial arts as well as kickboxing. She slams Cameron’s face to the mat in the middle of the ring.

Cameron gains momentum and fights back, hitting her finishing move. A quick match that might have been able to go a bit longer.

Winner: Harley Cameron.

An intense Kyle Fletcher says that Ospreay has been the one standing in his way. He says there will be no brothers there to save Ospreay… HMMMMMMMMM… Me thinks maybe there might be at least one! Fletcher reminds Ospreay that he “asked for this”.

4. The Infantry vs. Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly

Carlie Bravo gets Strong into the corner and starts talking a lot of smack. Guess who doesn’t like that! Strong mashes his chest with stiff strikes. Not the person you want to talk smack to.

Shane Taylor is ringside and the three of them beat on O’Reilly as Strong is too far away with the referee. Classic tag schenanigags.

Strong turns a Heatseeker into a Backbreaker on Bravo. But Bravo and Shawn Dean show their tight chemistry, a product of their background serving in the US Army.

O’Reilly hits Bravo with the Guillotine and Body Scissors. After some more fight back from The Infantry, the High-Low gets the victory.

Winners: Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita cut a promo where Callis says they’re going to end Omega tomorrow.

Chris Jericho gets challenged to a match at Revolution tomorrow against Gravity. This writer is 99.9% sure this will be on Zero Hour.

Back from a commercial, Mox cuts a promo. He says his opponent and him are the last of a dying breed that busted their asses through anything to chase a dream. A dream that so many never see come to fruition. Mox says this is about respect. He says he wants to like Cope, and he tried. Mox says Cope will feel what respect feels like when his spine is breaking.

5. Hologram vs. Dralistico (of LFI)

This is a match that has “high-flying action” written all over it.

The crowd chants “lucha” as their excitement for this match-up grows the longer the match goes.

It would be so cool if the broadcast could give us some quick slow-motion replays for moments like this.

Dralistico pushes the limits of the regulations as much as he can, having referee Aubrey Edwards constantly reminding him to play within the rules of the game. Nigel mentions that Dralistico once won a bodybuilding contest. The more you know!

Dralistico goes for the mask but Aubrey Edwards is quick to stop him. A massive chest slap brings Hologram to the mat. That one sounded like it echoed. Ouch.

A Spanish Fly on the outside gets the worst of Hologram upon impact. But he gathers a second wind… Only to get hit with a Hurricanrana from the top rope, to the outside of the ring. Both men are out of the ring.

Aubrey Edwards counts en Espanol as the two fight outside the ring. They get back in at nueve.

A match that Dralistico controls for the most part is turned on its head with a Crucifix Bomb. Chants of “Fight Forever!” ring out with the insane action. Dralistico tries to win with his feet on the ropes but Edwards doesn’t count.

Airplane to the Portal Bomb. 17-0.

Winner: Hologram.

The Beast Mortos rushes out and tries ripping off Hologram’s mask. But Komander rushes out to make the save.

After their odd finish last week, FTR and Daniel Garcia and Undisputed Kingdom meet for a chat. They set up a rematch for next Saturday. Garcia and Cole stay mack and Cole asks for a rematch. Garcia says he’s got a match to focus on tonight.

Lexy Nair is backstage with The Hurt Syndicate. MVP says The Outrunners are entertaining but The Hurt Syndicate provide a more violent type of entertainment. Chants of “We Hurt People” ring out.

6. The Outrunners vs. Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari

It’s a shame the fans in attendance can’t see the entrance the way TV crowds do. Mark Sterling says the Premier Athletes should be tag-team champs. But, when was the last time they were on AEW programming? Meh. What do I know, right?

Mark Sterling lands a cheap shot on Truth Magnum with the ref’s back turned. Some things never change, eh?

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1898561315150373307

Despite their lack of appearances on AEW programming, the Premier Athletes live up to their name when they do get booked. Turbo Floyd does not care, though. He goes on a run, taking out both with multiple stiff shots. Just as The Outrunners look to build momentum, The Hurt Syndicate show up. This could have been so ironic after the last match the Outrunners were in.

Despite the momentary distraction, Premier Athletes cannot capitalize.

Winners: The Outrunners.

Mariah May and Toni Storm were at the LA premiere of Queen of the Ring, among many other wrestlers. May hit Storm from behind mid-interview, saying she’s the one that made Storm a star.

An intense video package airs for MJF and Hangman’s match tomorrow. This video could have been slightly shorter than it was but did well to sell the intensity of the feud.

Johnny TV and MxM Collection are apparently in cahoots with the Don Callis Family? Hmmm… Not so sure that’s a mutually beneficial alliance.

7. Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH Pure Champion) for the TNT Championship

As skilled a technical wrestler as anyone else, Moriarty gets Garcia into a number of holds early on, attempting to get the match over quickly.

Garcia gets Moriarty with a push on the outside. The challenger’s leg looks to hit a steel chair awkwardly but he recovers and is able to gain the advantage.

Anyone who thought this match would not deliver has not seen either of these men wrestle before. Garcia fights back and both men are spent quickly as they push each other. Garcia is the definition of a fighting champion.

Who else lost count of the pinfall attempts during the crazy exchange? I think both had at least four.

Garcia sets in on the Dragon Tamer but Moriarty fights out of it. Garcia isn’t done yet, countering the challenger.

Winner: and still TNT Champion, Daniel Garcia.

STP surround the ring but Undisputed Kingdom come out to even things out. An 8-Man tag-team match is set for Zero Hour tomorrow.

Omega talks to Takeshita. They trained in Omega’s house. Omega helped mold Takeshita. He warns his opponent at Revolution about Don Callis and what kind of manager he really is. He calls out Takeshita to show him the man he thinks he is… on his own. He asks if he thinks he can beat this version of Omega.

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